Follow usRussian President Vladimir Putin has raised questions about the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) rules that require Russian athletes to compete as neutrals at the upcoming Paris Olympics. Putin, on Thursday, indicated that Russia has not yet made a final decision on the participation of its athletes in the event next year.
The IOC rejected a blanket ban, confirming that Russian athletes can compete under the designation of Individual Neutral Athletes. However, the IOC’s conditions include the absence of national symbols like the flag or anthem, exclusion of team sports, and the barring of athletes linked to the Russian military or security services or those publicly supporting Russia’s military actions in Ukraine.
Similar measures apply to Russia’s ally Belarus. Putin expressed support for athletes participating in major competitions but emphasized the need for a careful analysis of the IOC’s conditions. He expressed concerns that politically motivated conditions could be used to exclude top Russian competitors.
“If the aim of this is to cut out our leaders and show that Russian sport is not developing or, on the contrary, is withering away, then it is necessary for the Sports Ministry and the National Olympic Committee of Russia to analyze and take a balanced decision,” Putin stated.
Russian athletes had previously competed without national symbols at the Winter Olympics in 2018 and 2022, as well as the last Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 2021, as part of fallout from disputes over doping.
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